Floorboard Gospel

[Verse 1]
(Spoken)
The sound of your Ikea dresser scraping the floorboards at ten on a Tuesday.
The slam of the door shaking the saint on my wall.
Keys on the counter like a handful of dropped teeth.
Then your name, Marisol, stretched thin 'til it snapped.

[Chorus]
(Sung)
And now the floorboards sing a gospel for me.
This quiet ain't empty, it's finally breathing with me.

[Verse 2]
(Spoken)
Then the other sounds. That cumbia turned up too loud to cover the silence.
El humo de arepas quemadas drifting under my door.
Last August, the headboard kept a beat against our shared wall.
Your laugh at 3 AM, a sound so bright it hurt to hear.

[Chorus]
(Sung)
And now the floorboards sing a gospel for me.
This silence ain't lonely, it's finally keeping time with me.

[Bridge]
(Spoken, pace slowing)
I never saw your face, not once. But I heard the break in your voice.
"'Please,' you whispered, 'just this one time, Eddie, please.'"
And the plaster held its breath.

[Chorus]
(Sung, more forceful, harmonies swell)
And now the floorboards sing a gospel for me.
This room ain't just quiet, it's finally singing back to me.

[Outro]
(Spoken, very soft)
Just the hum of the fridge.
And me, unbraiding my hair.